A mum-of-two has been diagnosed with a rare heart condition that could make pregnancy fatal, and doctors have warned her against having more children. Rebecca Smith, 35, is battling peripartum cardiomyopathy, which impairs heart function during the final trimester of pregnancy or soon after giving birth.
Her condition was overlooked by healthcare professionals during her first pregnancy but was identified following the birth of her eldest son, Nathan, on April 21, 2007. Despite grim prognoses, Rebecca made a miraculous recovery, only for the illness to resurface with her second pregnancy in 2024.
After delivering her second child, Rowan, on November 27, she now faces a lifetime regimen of nine different medications, including beta blockers. The clinical support worker from Lancaster, Lancashire, expressed the importance of early detection for pregnant women, stating: “It’s crucial for pregnant women to catch this early – I’ll have to be on my treatment regime for the rest of my life. “
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She also highlighted the lack of awareness about the disease, recalling how she was initially misdiagnosed with anxiety: “There’s such little knowledge of this disease – I was even told I had anxiety, the first time around.
“But I wasn’t anxious, I was dying.”
During her first pregnancy, Rebecca exhibited classic signs of heart failure such as swollen feet, fatigue, and breathlessness, which were mistakenly attributed to normal pregnancy symptoms.
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Her son Nathan, who is now 17 years old, was born at Hull Royal Infirmary, weighing 7lbs 4oz.
Rebecca Smith with her eldest son Nathan in 2007
However, Rebecca was immediately rushed to intensive care after she began having difficulty breathing. “I was still a child myself,” she said.
“My mum rushed in as they brought me through to ICU – I was hooked up to all these machines.
“No one knew what was wrong with me, I had this fast heartbeat and pneumonia in my lungs.
“After a week in intensive care, I was sent back to the ward – and three months later, diagnosed with anxiety and sent home with diazepam.”
Rebecca Smith with her eldest son Nathan in 2008
Rebecca’s symptoms continued even after she returned home, which ended with her collapsing during her first walk with Nathan two weeks later. Her legs had turned purple, and after calling an ambulance, Rebecca was rushed to A&E.
A scan revealed she had two clots in her lungs and one clot, the size of a “pigeon egg” on her heart – which was at risk of travelling to her brain. Rebecca said: “They said to me: ‘This clot is going to go to your brain, prepare for the worst.’”
“Basically, I was told I was going to have a massive stroke – unless I started taking warfarin for the rest of my life.
“But, by some miracle, the clot turned to gristle on its own – without medication.”
The new mum, who says she wasn’t able to see her baby for the first eight months, was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Rebecca Smith experienced heart failure with her second pregnancy
She managed to avoid a heart transplant due to medication like beta blockers increasing her function. Within one year, Rebecca’s heart function returned to normal – but she was advised not to have another baby for 17 years.
“I just thought ‘my heart’s fine now,’ so I got pregnant again in 2024,” she said. “My pregnancy was absolutely fine, I even continued working all the way through.
“But at 32 weeks, I had a scan and they told me my heart function had dropped slightly.
“It started dropping every two weeks, and I was re-prescribed beta blockers.”
At 36 weeks and two days, Rebecca received the alarming news that her heart function was severely low, leading to a re-diagnosis with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Rebecca left it 17 years before becoming pregnant again due to her condition
Her second child, Rowan, arrived safely at Manchester St. Mary’s Hospital at 12.41pm, on November 27, 2024, weighing a healthy 5lbs 12oz. After Rowan’s birth, Rebecca began taking nine medications a day, and says she “started planning Christmas” in case she died.
“I’m on full treatment, and still here,” she said with relief. “I’m on medication for the rest of my life – and no more babies.”
Rebecca’s experience has enabled her to run workshops at Manchester St. Mary’s for junior doctors – educating them on the hidden symptoms of peripartum cardiomyopathy.
The symptoms that were missed in Rebecca’s case included swollen ankles and legs, shortness of breath, severely interrupted sleep – waking up every 30 minutes, and constant tiredness.